Why are you a traditionalist? Why not? Concering gs ofcourrse.

[Agemax]

i have done so many mods to my GS i cant remember them all, but it still looks like a GS and is easily recognizable as a GS which ever way you look at it. that was the intention i had when i first started to "improve" it.

[IanC]

I agree with Agemax. Nearly nothing is stock on mine anymore but I keep it looking mostly like a 1978 GS1000.

[evan132]

+1 for keeping the main look but improving. One of the reasons I love these bikes is the amount of things you can do to them (improvements of course). There's nothing like riding a high power great handling gs, or any older bike. And it's fun wiping the smile off some of the riders on new bikes while your at it

[MisterCinders]

My bike was mostly stock when I got it. Although I didn't necessarily set out to cafe it, it has evolved into that style. If (when?) I ever get another GS, I'd probably keep it closer to stock (appearance wise at least), for some contrast.

As for non-appearance issues, there are many things that can be improved with aftermarket mods. IMO, SS brake lines, K&N filter (if not pods), charging system upgrades, etc. have benefits that outweigh any "keep all things stock" orthodoxy.

[MatBirch]

I am resurrecting a heap. Cost is also a concern for me. My wife and I love the vintage look of the really old bikes. Trouble is, I can't afford to start one. By selecting a rotted out 550L for near free, I can have the freedom to build what I want. As a fabricator by trade, I can do everything myself, and truly add my own ideas, as opposed to just bolting up an ebay bobber. When it's done, I will have a reliable Suzuki powerplant in a cool, old school, one of kind ride.
I did something similar with my 4x4. An old jeep was way too much to start with, plus the parts are expensive. Once completed, you still have the same old jeep as everyone else. I started with a 300$ mitsubishi montero, and created something very unique by making it a convertible, swapping in an efi turbo, etc.

[1980GS1000E]

Mine was originally red. Still LOOKS stock, though. Thats the secret.

[mrbill5491]

Guess my custom rebuild could be considered a stock rebuild. The forks and swing arm are off the bigger brother. 90% of what I used were stock pieces.

[dorkburger]

I generally prefer a stockish envelope, with well chosen and installed custom bits being just fine. As a fan of things mechanical and artful, customs are cool also, again with an emphasis on quality craftsmanship. Well worn survivors that are a living history of a machine in constant motion have a special place in my cycling heart.

[MadCapsule]

I'm no traditionalist. Do whatever you want with your bike; it's your bike.

With few exceptions, these bikes were made in massive quantities, so there are plenty around for people to do as they please with them. Even the "rare" models aren't all that rare.

[davidbailey]

Why are you a traditionalist,Why not,concerning gs of course

I think with some people it all boils down to money.All of us want the best performing and looking machine we can get.My case was taking a ugly bike that had not ran in a decade.that did not have the style that I prefer when it was new in 1982 gs550L.everything on it was cosmetically ruined from being exposed to the weather and left for dead.Having little money to work with and not one for doing things half ass like painting rusted surfaces instead of removing the rust and polishing ext.In my case If I was going to have to totally replace everything,then I was going to have a finished style and look that I wanted.I must admit I see alot of butchered bikes that are plain ugly around still today but I can also admit before I got my bike going and did not have it to ride every time I seen one of those butchered bikes fly past me I was wishing it was me riding it.I think all of us are just plain blessed to be on our bikes in the wind

[Mad Mark]

when it comes to motorcycles it all depends. if the bike is all original and fairly clean its sacrilegious for me to tear it apart and build a bobber or cafe racer, ive seen some really nice stock bikes get turned into abortions. a bike is only stock once if you take a hacksaw to it.

if the bike is a pile and you can get it running do whatever you want. like my bike, i didnt see a picture of it before i went and picked it up. i thought it would be way rougher then it was. i was planning on rattle canning over the messed up paint and riding the crap out of it etc. but when i first saw it it was way to nice so it stays stock.

i like traditional hot rods too. i dont think billet crap belongs on any car before the mid 70s so i hate street rods and muscle cars with huge bling wheels.

[Sandy]

I pretty much like a mostly stock GS. They sorta work really nice the way they are. Mine has a few (what I feel are necessary) mods that I did such as progressive fork springs, fork brace, Dyna ignition, K&N replacement airfilter, superbike bars and I add a windscreen and rack for trips, otherwise I leave them off. A couple of mods that were done by the original owner that I undid were a 4 - 1 pipe and pods. He also drilled the disks and took some foam out of the seat which I've left because that I can live with. Beside just try and find a nice stock flat GS1000 seat for a decent price. I've nothing at all against modded bikes though, just not my cup of tea.

[farmall]

I'm fine with stock unless something different serves me better.

I take very good mechanical care of my rides but near-zero cosmetic care (of bikes I use a lot) after they are built as I don't spend any time looking at them when parked. The rain will wash 'em off and they make spray lube for a reason.

I liked my first GS because it was tough and reliable. It had a four-into-one but wasn't jetted properly, so it got a Dynojet kit and life was dandy. Had the seat redone "cafe style" as it was trashed and I didn't like the stock height. Drag bars fit me so it got those.

I'm not the Smithsonian and if the next owner wants a resto he/she/it can cough up the money and have the proverbial nut. Mechanics and aftermarket suppliers need to eat too and who am I to take food off their table.

I don't get the "bobber" thing when it's done ghetto style, but whatever. Done with real craftsmanship and fab skill it can look great, but many modders have no artistic sense of proportion.

"Art bikes" are nearly all jokes, unless the builders SELL them for fat bank. I totally favor making a profit!

The fenderless thing is hilarious. Run over some decomposing possum or gravel or a fat horse turd with no fenders and you can get sprayed from both ends.

Ditto tiny gas tanks. If you have to carry an MSR bottle to make it back from the bar that amuses me no end.

The "no front brake" crowd are just retarded. They wouldn't unplug three of four cylinders but they remove that proportion of braking power for looks. Physics doesn't care about "cool".

[Steve]

One of the reasons I love these bikes is the amount of things you can do to them (improvements of course).

That is what put the U in UJM.

Universal Japanese Motorcycle.

Mine was originally red. Still LOOKS stock, though. Thats the secret.

Kinda like my wife's bike. It used to be black and gray, but some Bozo put a LOT of nicks and dings around the filler neck and brush-painted the side covers in a light battleship gray.

Had it painted in a dark metallic blue that is very close to my Wing, and added a bright silver for contrast.

Also painted the engine black (because I like it), then found out that Suzuki did it starting in '83.

Our bikes are more personalized than customized, and they are all far from "stock".

You can see them by clicking the links in my sig.

.

[Calliway]

There are a lot of little things you can do that make the bike better than the what the factory did all while making it look stock still.

95% of the cafe racers and bobbers look like terrible hack jobs. I also think it is a bit of a tragedy when someone takes a nice looking bike and starts hacking it up. I do love bobbers and cafe's but it has to be done right and it has to be done tastefully. I always lean towards making a better factory bike unless it so far gone that something totally radical is the only way to preserve it.